• If you haven't done so already, please add a location to your profile. This helps when people are trying to assist you, suggest resources, etc. Thanks (Click the "X" to the top right of this message to disable it)

Dental reconstruction 🙂

Dingo40

Dingo40

Been here for ages!
Joined
Nov 27, 2017
Messages
5,316
Reaction score
5,622
Location
South Australia
For those who may be facing the prospect. Yesterday, I had a ceramic material crown fitted to a molar (under local anaesthetic): all good.
Amazing technology: laser scanner (like they show being used for measuring the pyramids), then computer directed machining of a lump of the crown material (Lithium Disilicate) to fit the exact space/shape, then 40 minutes of baking at 800 Degs C ( like pottery), touching up with the drill for fit, glueing in place, final touching up for occlusion . Took nearly two hours (including settling with the front desk). $600-00 gap (Bupa).
Didn't hurt a bit !😀
Glad to be able to have it, as I'm beginning to run out of molars 😀
For the curious:
More about Lithium Disilicate 🙂
 
Last edited:
Interesting story. Here they measure, then send data off to a lab and you need to wait quite some time for the crown to be delivered and fitted.
Last year one of the molars at the very back lost its top (all but the root). The dentist put some kind of support in the root, then rebuilt the crown as if it were just a hole to fill. He essentially rebuilt the whole top using the filler material. Incredible that he could do that. He is (almost) a magician. The molar is still working find to this day. It was done in under half an hour, no anesthetic needed at all. His name is "Bas" so now I call him "Bas Potter".
 
debra said:
Incredible that he could do that.
Click to expand...
Great story, Paul! Thanks!👏🙂
My particular tooth has had a lot of dentistry done on it over the decades including the old amalgam fillings of the middle 1900s to the recent, modern materials of the 21st century, losing a bit of its bulk each time.
Unfortunately, during this past year, the filling broke three times, due mainly to my predilection for hard crackers and cheese, and ginger nut biscuits 🙂.
Luckily, this crown should be able to virtually restore almost all the previously lost upper bulk and promises to outlast previous efforts!🙂
 
It's good to read of the technological advances being made, Dingo40. Thanks.
Some may have not heard of the english comedienne/poetess, Pam Ayres, who composed some verses in regret of not having looked after her teeth and called it, not surprisingly, 'I wish I'd looked after my teeth'. She recites it here using some english vernacular:
 
boxplayer4000 said:
She recites it here using some english vernacular:
Click to expand...
Sounds very similar to my own dental history!😄
Evidently, the arrival of plentiful sugar supplies from the West Indies in the 16th century(?) in England coincided with a catastrophic dental disaster to the inhabitants of every social degree!😐
The development of periodontistry in the 1970s was one of the great advances in dental knowledge leading to the preservation of teeth .
Even as late as the 1990s, it was common to have all of one's teeth removed and replaced with dentures. My foster father had this done at 70.🤔
 
Last edited:
Superb .....sitting in dentist now....was to have implant a year ago but jaw bone had cavity which showed up on X ray.....waited four months for bone mesh graft to set.... hopefully today will get go ahead to have implant fitted then wait another three months for that to settle before tooth can be added.....
 
When doing dental work I always had a concern over singing voice tone changing. Think horn players have the same issue?

I have a blocked tear duct in my left eye. The surgeon wanted to drill in my nose cavity to reroute. But warned me I may lose music pitch, especially in singing. Told me of a soprano singer lost her perfect pitch due to the same operation.
 
Last edited:
Dental reconstruction can be a big deal and something you want to get right. I’ve heard some positive things about them. They seem experienced with all dental needs and are known for making their patients feel at ease. If you’re in the Eastlake, area, you might want to check out Implant Dentistry in Eastlake Ohio. It's always great to find a place where you can trust the team and feel comfortable throughout the process. If you’re considering your options, it might be worth calling them or setting up a consultation. It could be just what you need to return to smiling confidently.
 
I get to "enjoy" having a root canal and crown done tomorrow.
I've been told that the crown will be made onsite and installed the same day, rather than taking forever like it used to.
TBA how quick or painless it'll be. Costs a lot more here than his too, even with insurance. :\
 
Siegmund said:
I've been told that the crown will be made onsite and installed the same day, rather than taking forever like it used to.
Click to expand...
My wife and I each have had a crown fitted in the last two months or so.
Painless in each case.
Crown made to measure on site.
All up, it took just under two hours each.
You could eat your dinner that afternoon (once the anaesthetic wore off).🙂
Root canal takes longer as it's quite fiddly.
I had mine done in two sessions a week apart .
Good luck with it!🙂
 
KeysFla said:
When doing dental work I always had a concern over singing voice tone changing. Think horn players have the same issue?

I have a blocked tear duct in my left eye. The surgeon wanted to drill in my nose cavity to reroute. But warned me I may lose music pitch, especially in singing. Told me of a soprano singer lost her perfect pitch due to the same operation.
Click to expand...

I've heard (perhaps apocryphal) that Freddy Mercury never got his prominent front teeth adjusted out of fear that it would affect his voice.

I'm no expert, but I could see how changing the internal structure of the mouth might affect tone/timbre. But pitch? That's based on your larynx and the strength/control you have over it. Granted, your ability to make the quick fine adjustments required to sing in tune depends on your ability to hear yourself accurately, which perhaps might be affected by structural changes. Still... that soprano story seems sort of urban-legendy to me. Might be worth posting your concern somewhere like the "singing" or "opera" subreddit on Reddit, or similar forum, for a second opinion.
 
Advancing age certainly brings problems and it's a comfort to know of constantly improving technology and procedures.
I noticed recently that a dental repair material is readily available on-line. I've forgotten the trade name but it came in two parts (2-part epoxy like?) and it was claimed to set very hard. At the time it passed through my mind that it might have been useful in some repair work around an accordion.

Jeff's observation above about the structure of the mouth affecting the sound output must surely be true. Quite apart from a few molars and incisors here and there singers (and linguists) pay a lot of money to learn to control the shape etc. of their mouths to obtain the best effect.

It's a long time ago since I heard about a hillbilly who had definitely not looked after his teeth and he was reduced to one tooth only, in the middle, upper front. His one compensation, he claimed, was he could sing in stereo!
 
I survived the procedure and have tooth in a place I haven't in a good while. Didn't suffer during but have been hitting the ibuprofen hard since I got home. (And yes, they used something very much like a 2-part epoxy to glue the crown onto the base of the tooth beneath.)

I can report that it did not impact my ability to sing: I still can't.
 
I still remember the school dentists of the 1950s in Scotland.
He had a foot cranked drill similar to a sewing machine setup-all belts and pulleys.
On one occasion he stuck a huge needle in my gum so far that it went right through, still makes me shudder at the thought.
Perhaps that's the reason for my dreadful singing voice :unsure:
 
Siegmund said:
I survived the procedure and have tooth in a place I haven't in a good while. Didn't suffer during but have been hitting the ibuprofen hard since I got home. (And yes, they used something very much like a 2-part epoxy to glue the crown onto the base of the tooth beneath.)

I can report that it did not impact my ability to sing: I still can't.
Click to expand...
Beware Ibuprofen - in some people it can become a serious allergen resulting im anaphilactic shock. Not nice.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top